Symbol Stamp on 1968 Cent?

I was wondering if anyone had any information about this unusual strike. It's has me baffled for a long time. Any help is appreciated!

 

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The sword/crescent/star combination could be a masonic symbol, see the one on the right in this image: http://www.digiart.us/images/0326 Masonic Scottish Rites Shriners Emblems.jpg Other than that ... no idea.

Christian

 

Counterstamps on cents were popular in the 60's and 70's. I have seen many "treasures" brought to me at coin shows by family members. I definitely believe its a counterstamp applied to make a "Mason Penny". There was some Masonic use for them at the time, but of course they will never tell anyone what.

 

The emblem on the penny is the
"Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine",
usually known as "Shriners".



My grandfather was a Shriner.

 

It's a Shriners counterstamp, they did this often. I have some really cool examples of Mason counterstamps.

 

Ok, maybe it was the shriners subset, but weren't the shriners Masons? My Dad was a shriner.

 

It is the second most common counterstamp I find on cents after Kennedy.

 

A couple of my uncles were into that Masonic stuff - but I think Shriners are actually their own organisation outside of the Masons. I have to wonder that those fraternal orgs are not nearly as big a deal now as they were back in the '70s.

 

Just wiki'ed it, and fyi the shriners are an offshoot of masons. That explains the similarities.

 

All I know for sure about this is if you stumble out of Pizzeria Due on Wabash in Chicago you are faced with the Medinah Temple across the street which bears a similar symbol. Great pie, bad juju.

 

You can be a Mason and not be a Shriner, but you can't be a Shriner unless you are a Mason.

 

Also, order double sausage, extra cheese, and deluxe mushrooms. Have the red wine dressing on the ample salad. You won't regret it

 

Thanks everyone! (And I'll take that pizza without mushrooms!)